


a good idea

by iosis



Category: Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-
Genre: Gen, Lamento Secret Santa 2017, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 03:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13227366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iosis/pseuds/iosis
Summary: an unconventional sort-of family gathers together for an unconventional sort of Christmas.





	a good idea

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year and a lovely holiday season to Azure, or azurewhitewind on tumblr!  
> I had a lot of fun writing this, and hope you find it an enjoyable read~ 
> 
>  
> 
> Set in Lamento Gakuen AU, intended to echo canon relationships in some way or another.

 

 

 

 

Whoever has decided it was any degree of ok to carry out the classes till Christmas Eve itself was definitely out of their mind, Konoe has decided.

  
To be completely fair, it wasn't a full day - just a few hours to wrap some things up. To be even more fair, it hasn't been actual classes -only the extra-curricular clubs and circles - loose bits of paperwork, mass clean-ups, and all the like.

  
Briefly, he thought of the Theater Club. True, some of his father's ideas coupled with Leaks's manner of execution were a little bit _unusual_ \- but at least their organisation was sufficient enough to prevent leaving things till the last day.

  
Through the frosted patterns riddling the windows, Konoe can see the snow falling - slow and measured, with not a care in the world of classrooms and celebrations - of time itself. Somewhere out there, a world was awaiting the festive coming of wonder, holding its breath in excitement - and here he was, watching from within blanks walls and rows of desks. 

  
Rai is waiting for him outside the classroom.

  
This turn of events is not implausible, but unexpected nonetheless, even though they've spoken on this previously - and he wills himself to ignore the spark of almost-joy that fills him at the sight.

  
'What are you doing for Christmas?', it's come up in casual conversation about a week ago or so, and he's asked without thinking. It comes a second too late that Christmas for many is a time of family, a holiday to spend alongside your loved ones - and as for Rai...

  
The other's seemingly-disinterested 'hmph', the tense line of his shoulders served well to confirm his concerns.

  
'I was wondering,' he had said then, again, before weighting the consequences of his words. 'I mean, if you're not too busy, of course, it's ok to decline...' he'd trailed off, unsure as to whether he should commit to the idea that first materialised in his head a while ago.  
'You might as well stop beating your tail around the bush and spit it out,' - and, well, Rai's forms of encouragement have always been a bit peculiar. Besides, Konoe can tell by the flicker of his ears and the inclination of his head that he had his interest now.

  
'Come spend Christmas with us,' he offers - no, asks, for it's more of a request than a mere suggestion, a ghost of every 'I want to spend more time with you', each 'I want to see you again' he'd never been sure the upperclassman would accept.

  
Even then, he wasn't too sure how Rai took it - back then he'd shrugged it off, the subject changing shortly after, having reached neither acceptance nor rejection. 

  
Though Konoe was hopeful, he'd not allowed himself to dwell on it too much.

But now Rai is standing here, leaning against the wall with one knee propped up for support, eyes glued to some book he's got in his hands - like hanging around here was the most natural thing in the world.

  
He doesn't spare Konoe as much as a single gaze as he pushes himself upright, book tucked underneath his arm, but the other doesn't miss the way his ears perk up at his greeting, the way his tail lashes out in something that in any other cat would denote excitement.

  
'Sorry about the wait!' Konoe, on the other hand, sees no harm in openly showing his excitement, beaming up at the other cat until something in his features seems to soften. 

'A little bit of waiting won't kill me.' He mutters under his breath, but the blue of his single eye is not of ice but of the sunlit sky above their heads as they make their way through the schoolyard, fresh snow crackling with every step. 

'I'm glad you could make it, after all,' Konoe tells him as the gates clatter shut behind their backs. 

The road is where fresh snow meets old snow, and the thing about old snow is that even in the midst of winter, it's not immune to melting. The harm in that? Melting always tends to be followed by refreezing when night struck, leaving a thin veneer of ice on the footpaths and pavements, waiting for an unsuspecting cat to go tumbling and flying. 

  
It only made sense for Rai to offer Konoe a hand, the grip of smaller gloved fingers in his, the grasp at some semblance of stability as they force themselves onwards through this kind of hostile terrain. 

  
Only made sense to keep holding on until they were halfway down Konoe's street.

 

And only when they're already halfway down his street does Konoe remember a certain nuance to what's planned for the upcoming evening - in other words, only when it's a little bit difficult to backpedal.

 

 

_a week or so earlier..._

 

There were very few things in the world capable of reigning some semblance of control over the mind of a young cat switched into holiday mode before due time, Leaks has decided. He was not among these.

  
'They know the material. They've done this exact experiment before.' He tells the empty space before him as another project journeys from the 'Still to be Marked' pile to the pile of 'Something, Somewhere, Went Terribly Wrong'. 'The only thing that changed were the quantities - and, well, yeah, the fact that all they thought throughout the test is how much better it'd be to be outside, or better yet - on holiday.'

  
'Maybe next year you should consider shifting all tests one week earlier, before they grow too lax and decide they've had enough for the term?' - the empty space before him answers. Leaks blinks - surely it's not that late for him to fall victim to auditory hallucinations? 

  
But no - it's just the Poet, the overly-ambitious one-step--away-from-occasionally-overbearing music teacher. Also his office next-door neighbor. Also his, uh. Whatever they were. He wonders for a second if there was a word somewhere between 'long-time friend' and 'lover'. ' Even 'soulmate' didn't have a satisfying ring to it - but then again Shui was always better with words than he was.

  
'As much as I hate to admit, this isn't that ridiculous of an idea,' the scientist sighs. Easier admit to Shui that he's right than to admit that he's completely forgotten the celebration was coming in the first place.

  
'I'll remind you next time,' Shui, however, cares little for echoeing his thoughts. 'Or give you intensive to look forwards to something nice for the occasion.'

  
Another project, another average mark - Leaks farewells the paper with a melancholy gaze.

  
'Have you decided what you're doing yet?' Shui inquires, drawings his legs up until he was perched up on the chair before him, a beacon of red hair and colorful cloak and cheer that demanded his undivided attention. 

  
'Sure.' Leaks nods, cursing as another equation on the paper before him trails off with no attempt to come up with an answer. This was a worn argument, one that always left him with the faintest sense of unfulfillment. 'On Christmas Eve, I'm going to partake in the carols, wandering up and down the streets before making a touchdown at the local pub and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. I am then stalking my mysteriously obtained extended family and showering them equally mysteriously obtained with gifts, before...'

  
'Alright, now you're just being ridiculous on purpose,' Shui struggles not to laugh as he stares him down over the top of yet another assignment, and fails when Leaks doesn't deny the accusation.

  
'I just think there's better options than spending it alone, that's all.' the musical says, when the merriment dies down.

  
Leaks doesn't look at him as he shrugs in response, but he can almost feel the gaze lingering on him, calculating, measuring something.

  
'I know.' Shui exclaims, after an eternity of peace and quiet that still somehow feels too short. 'You should come and spend Christmas Eve with Konoe and myself.'

  
'But...'

  
'Consider it a favour for my sake.' Shui continues, silencing his protest with nothing more than a single look. 'I can think of someone who feels quite awful about leaving her husband and son over this festive time, even if to visit her home town and her family. They could, after all, be in dire need of company - or should I say supervision? Surely you would not fail her and come to our aid?'

 

And this is how Konoe was left not only anticipating a Christmas night spent with his very own science teacher, but also having to explain the situation to his very own 'I'm not too sure where this is going but I'll go along with it.'   
  


 

They make themselves heard before Konoe can lead Rai thought the gate - their voices ring deceptively loud in the homely pre-Christmas silence of it all.

  
'Are you sure it's ok?' - and it's weird to hear a voice that the classroom environment had oft forged into something strict, almost menacing - to suddenly have it carry so much softness, so much hesitation almost.

  
'Would I invite you in the first place if it wasn't?' - and that's his father's voice, light and playful as usual - if not slightly warmer that so. 'Now come on, give me a hand here...'

  
Konoe figures they're somewhere in the backyard - the sounds aren't coming from the house but from the little gate on the side.

  
'I daresay you did extend something more akin to forceful persuasion over a mere invitation.' Leaks continues over a sharp screech of something awfully metallic.

  
'Doesn't that just serve to reinforce my point? Now, come on, give me a hand with the lights, will you?'

  
The two seem to be so immersed in their _bicke_ \-- decorating, Konoe has to remind himself - that they aren't aware of their audience until they've made their way through the house and had the lounge room as their viewing platform. 

  
Konoe has never seen his father struggling to balance on a stepladder before. In fact, Konoe wasn't aware they _had_ a stepladder, yet there he was, hammer in one hand, a garland of fairy lights in other, and an expression of ill-concealed panic on his face.

  
'Oh.' Is all that Leaks says. He, too, looks almost startled as he looks up to see the two of them standing in the doorway, watching their ministrations from the patio.

  
'You're back early!' Shui exclaims - and he somehow seems more concerned than the scientist, like something about that fact is beyond offputting.

  
'Well, it's not like they could keep us there all day on _Christmas_ ,' Konoe shrugs.

  
'You're _early_.' his father repeats, almost desperately - not unlike Konoe imagines he would sound himself with a paw caught in a cookie jar.

 

'You weren't supposed to see the decorations until we were done.' To his surprise, it's Leaks that comes to his rescue. 'How about you show Rai around the house for a little bit, and we'll eat later?'

  
No complaints to that. Absent-minded, Konoe lets his hand reach for Rai's once again, guiding him back into the house. Is that not only logical?

  
'You weren't supposed to tell them!' Shui's voice trails after them through the walls. 

  
It's much more warm and comfortable indoors, but Konoe cannot help the spark of curiosity that creeps in, the need to bear witness to their decorating endeavors.

  
Good thing his bedroom windows are immediately above the yard, huh?

  
He doesn't know how they end up lying on his bed by the window, and Rai's arm is warm and tangible against his shoulder, and his hand is still held within his.

  
Konoe thinks of something to talk about, something to say - but he's spent enough time with Rai to know the other wasn't much of a talker - and anyway, the silence is comfortable, tender. It's almost relaxing, lying side by side and watching the snow fall; and listening to one of Leak's tirades somewhere below. (No, these decorations do nothing to capture the actual structure of a snowflake, and there is zero astronomical accuracy in where you want each star-shaped lantern to go.')

  
'Leaks-sensei sure looks comfortable here.' Rai says somewhere into his hair, and there's something amusing about how his voice is slightly muffled, or how he's almost burrowing his face against his temple. Konoe lets his eyes close, allows himself to melt into the touch and smile.

  
'It's complicated,' he admits, voice light.

  
'Oh.' Although there wasn't a single drop of negativity behind his words, he swears Rai draws back ever so slightly at that, tensing. 'I shouldn't have said anything.'

  
Rai, trying to be tactful?

  
Maybe his dad has been right when he said something about him, Konoe, being a 'positive influence'. 

  
'Nono, not _bad_ complicated.' Konoe's smile deepens. He's been lucky, really - with his father, with mum, with Leaks, who's long become part of the family, albeit slightly awkward and oft missing-in-action - outide of school, that is. And now, with Rai, a voice at the back of his mind whispers. Rai, behind whose icy demeanor hid warmth meant for him alone; reserved and harshly-spoken and so unlike the cat that relaxes back into his touch, a sigh of almost-relief on his lips.  
  
'They're happy.' Konoe adds, just in case.

  
_I'm happy, with you._

  
'Just...complicated whenever someone asks what they are, really. They're not big fans of labels.'

  
Rai hums at that, pulling back again but this time it's to look at him properly, gaze fixed, as if looking to read something upon his face.

  
When the silence streches for long enough for Konoe to feel the slightest bit uncomfortable beneath the nonchalant stare, Rai finally moves, lightening-quick, almost battle-like. Konoe feels the unmistakable brush of lips against the side of his palm before he can register it.

  
'I suppose I can get behind that concept', Rai's voice forms shapes and syllables in his subconsciousness, but he's too busy focusing on the warmth to pay them heed.  
And as Konoe is left fighting the treacherous blush threatening to take over his face, Rai just stares at him, and the ice-sharp sparkle in his eye hasn't been there before.

 

They don't get to stay and relax for much longer. The sound of arguing - negotiating, that's how Leaks-sensei would call it - downstairs dies down, but the peace is short-lived. Almost instantly, Shui starts rallying everyone for dinner.

  
Dinner is - it's just nice, really, and Konoe catches himself thinking he's expected it to be different - a worry that stuck on his mind ever since he first asked Rai to come. It's strangely easy, sitting there with Rai next to him, knees brushing underneath the table, elbows touching ever so often - that is, until the subtle capture of his hand and the equally subtle relocation of it underneath the tabecloth. A questioning glance at Rai, but he seems too preoccupied by the contents of his plate. Another glance, this time across the table - if Shui or Leaks had noticed anything they show no sign of it. Not like they'd care about the whole 'holding hands at the dinner table thing', Konoe supposes - but something about the secrecy of it is somehow especially endearing - exciting, even.

  
What's even more exciting is the promise of a bonfire, courtesy of Shui. Though they did keep a stash of firewood in the cupboard, Konoe cannot recall it ever being put to use - and a small part of him suspects it's for his mother's thoughts on whether Shui could be trusted with it. Shui, on the other hand, was completely and positively decided in this, and this is how they've ended up seated outside amidst mild winter cold, watching the ginger cat's ministations with varying degrees of curiosity (and perhaps concern).

  
The yard is small - there isn't much space left, with the four of them cuddled around the fire-to-be - but the growing dusk is deceptively deep, and Shui's and Leaks's combined efforts have transformed the familiar fenced rectangle of lawn into something mysterious, enticing. Stars of cold electric fire hung suspended above their heads; and while the fence was streaked with garlands, their glow was subtle, blurring the lines between the confines of the fence and the great beyond, between decoration and reality. Where there were plants, they were not plastic wreaths that smelt of artifice, but branches of real pine and fir woven together - in the unfamiliar glow of everything else, Konoe can almost imagine they were not on an island within an urban mass but out in an endless forest, alive and breathing with its untold stories and mysteries.

  
'They really have outdone themselves with the decorations.' Konoe whispers to Rai in awe, and the other cat inclines his head in agreement.

  
Shui's efforts to get the fire going, on the other hand, seemed to be less successful.

  
'Is it really a Christmas without a campfire?' he muses as a lonely flame bursts from the tip of a match - only to cease from existence with a pitiful sizzle as soon as it touches wood.

  
'I wasn't aware this is a sacred rite by tradition...' Rai replies, and though his words are those of dry sarcasm yet again, Konoe can hear the quiet amusement in his voice.

  
'You have lived a life of deceit,' and there's a dramatic note in Shui's voice that makes Konoe think back to Theater Club. His dad is different when he's at school, Konoe knows - but he's also different around Leaks, and different again with Rai. Again, not bad different - just the way he is.

  
'We're all about to continue living a life of deceit.' Shui says again after a little while. The pile of used-up matches beside him has grown considerably. The pyramid of wood is no closer to being aflame.

  
'That is, unless you plan to end said living in an act of arson.' Leaks pipes in.

  
'He'd need to start the fire first,' Konoe grins at him, and there's no hard edges to his jest.

  
'I know.' Leaks replies, and the younger cat swears he's at the very least smiling to himself. 'But at this rate, I'm sure he's more likely to set alight everthything but the firewood.'  
Unanimously the scariest, strangest most reserved teacher in the school, sitting in his backyard and practically cracking jokes, reclining in his chair, tail swishing in satisfaction. Konoe wonders how surreal this scene must be for Rai, when even he, who knew Leaks in _this_ environment practically from birth, found the contrast a little weird to adjust to.

  
Shui, in the meantime, had given up.

  
'Fine.' He says, straightening up and letting the box of matches drop before him. 'Tonight is not my night. Your go, Mr. Science.'

  
'My go?' Leaks echoes, rising from his seat. 'You do realise you've practically left me no choice but to start anew? First of all, look at the way you've stacked the firewood...'

  
'You could have said something earlier,' Shui offers, craning his neck to look up at him. A loose strand of hair spills from beneath his scarf, and it doesn't at all go unnoticed as the scariest, strangest and so forth and so on teacher in the school pauses to brush it off his face, his hand then dropping to linger by the Poet's shoulder.

  
'And deprive you of the joy? I could never.'

  
It doesn't take long for the fire to get started after that. Leaks turns the whole process into a sort of step-by-step demonstration - restacking the pyramid of logs and branches entirely, tucking in some smaller sticks and a piece of paper from his pocket that held suspicious resemblance to an old assignment - 'You have to use kindling, you can't just try and light the log at once. And you have to be patient, Shui...'

  
And patient he was, working the tiny flame until it no longer shook with the cold air - sitting by the fire crosslegged, not a bit of care for the snow - until it grew and grew, flickering heat and earthy smoke; until the flames rose so high Konoe had to shift his seat farther back. Excited by the fire as he was, it was best observed from a safe distance, he's decided. 

  
Through the red glow of the flames and the setting night, Leaks looks like some sort of fire-wielding magician, willing the raging heat to do his bidding, to gift them its warmth. Solemn, ancient, even. Like he belonged to some other world, laced with fantasy, where all of them would be travellers brought into the circle of firebourne light by fate. Rai could be a warrior, or a bounty hunter - someone he, Konoe, would always feel safe alongside. And Shui?

  
Konoe doesn't notice when Shui starts to sing - do any of them? The song becomes an organic part of them, like the bonfire, like the night of Christmas itself - filling them with quiet awe. Something pure, like fresh snow in the air, like the rise and fall of his father's voice. He feels Rai exhale beside him - and cannot help but sigh on reflex, like a weight is being lifted off his chest, like not much else matters. It was a good idea - the dinner, the decorations, the fire...Leaks finally conceding and coming over, as well as his own real-life variant of a fantasy warrior who also didn't-quite-do-labels - the time spent together. A lot to tell mother about, when she's back - and maybe, just maybe, they could share a similar event with her, sometime in the future. In the future that is filled with warmth and light, because it cannot be otherwise, not while this song is in the air, not while the twigs crackle and snap and smoke before him, not while the snow swirls through the night...

  
He doesn't know what to say when the song ebbs into nothing, when his father falls silent -it is almost as if time forgot the direction of its flow, and wasn't sure where to go, how to learn of its movement again.

  
'Did someone say hot chocolate?' Shui is the first to break the very silence he's woven himself, and the devilish grin on his face is so unlike the timeless grace of the song from moments ago that Konoe wants to laugh.  
He is not the only one. A Christmas miracle or not, but he's pretty sure that somewhere beside him, Rai had failed to stifle a chuckle.

  
This was definitely a good idea. 

 

 

 

 

fin.

**Author's Note:**

> p.s. a big cheer for event mod and a shoutout to my beta. 
> 
> p.p.s. please imagine Rai burning himself on the hot chocolate and Leaks suggesting he eat the snow as a remedy in his best 'civil and completely serious' voice.


End file.
